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Kathleen Parker: Beck's gathering right out of AA playbook
The Dallas Morning News ^ | September 1, 2010 | Kathleen Parker

Posted on 09/01/2010 1:29:20 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

Despite all the words spilled in evaluating Glenn Beck's tent-less revival last weekend, the real meaning may have been hiding in plain sight.

Beck's "Restoring Honor" gathering was right out of the Alcoholics Anonymous playbook. It was a 12-step program distilled to a few key words, all lifted from a prayer delivered from the Lincoln Memorial: healing, recovery and restoration.

Saturday's Beckapalooza was yet another step in Beck's own personal journey of recovery.

Beck's history of alcoholism and addiction is familiar to any who follow him. For Beck, it has been a defining part of his life, and recovery is a process inseparable from The Glenn Beck Show. His emotional, public breakdowns are replicated in AA meetings in towns and cities every day.

Taking others along for the ride, aka evangelism, is also part of the cure. Beck, who vaulted from radio host to political-televangelist, now has taken another step in his ascendancy–to national crusader for faith, hope and charity.

It's an easy sell. Meanwhile, Beck has built a movement framed by two ideas that are unassailable: God and country. Throw in some Mom and apple pie, and you've got a picnic of patriotism and worship.

Wait, did somebody say ... Mom?

Sister Sarah, come on down!

Yes, Mother Superior made an appearance. Sarah Palin, whom Beck sainted a few months ago during an interview in which he declared her one of the only people who can save America, came to the Mall not to praise politics, but to honor our troops.

Palin is the mother of a soldier, after all, and God bless her, and him, and all those who have served. Unassailable. As Palin said, whatever else you might say about her, she did raise a combat soldier. "You can't take that away from me."

(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Military/Veterans; Politics; Religion
KEYWORDS: alcoholicsanonymous; beck; glennbeck; marchondc; military; msromney2; palin; parker; parker4romney; parkerantipalin; rally; restoringhonor; sarahpalin; talkradio
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

So, Kathleen, has something gone wrong “with Mom and Apple Pie” and “God & Country?”

All the peoples I have been around for most of the past 60 years loved “America” and our “Home Towns” and for the most part “We loved the peoples of our neighborhoods and our local Churches.”


21 posted on 09/01/2010 1:51:50 PM PDT by LetMarch (If a man knows the right way to live, and does not live it, there is no greater coward. (Anonyous)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

i’m tom...

i’ve off the government teat for 48 years now...

thank you.


22 posted on 09/01/2010 1:52:08 PM PDT by teeman8r (NO vember is coming... vote them out)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Ms. Parker is morphing into another Helen Thomas or Eleanor Clift. Snippy, snarky and ratlike.
23 posted on 09/01/2010 1:53:40 PM PDT by JPG (How much taxpayer $ did Mookie blow today?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
This is a stretch to try and stand out from the crowd clambering for an angle to denigrate Beck from that hasn't already been staked out by a another member of the angry, confused mob.

Truly beckaphobic.

24 posted on 09/01/2010 1:55:41 PM PDT by TheClintons-STILLAnti-American
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To: Retired Greyhound
I’m baffled by how stupid this article is

Kathleen Parker wrote it, which should cure your case of bafflement.

25 posted on 09/01/2010 1:58:12 PM PDT by dirtboy
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Kathleen who? I’m serious why do we keep hearing about this woman?


26 posted on 09/01/2010 1:59:57 PM PDT by jmaroneps37 (Conservatism is truth. Liberalism is lies.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Anyone--whether a columnist/sniper like Parker, or the President in his off-hand dismissal of "people like Beck stirring people up" comment on Sunday--anyone who is so dismissive of Saturday's admirable and peacful gathering is not taking a shot at the TV personality who was on the state.

Such a person is being dismissive and condescending to 300-500,000 of his/her fellow citizens, and that reveals a small mind, a mean spirit, and an arrogance which is contemptible.

Is it possible that such persons as these dismissive critics are aware of the mirror to the soul which such an attitude represents?

The 300-500,000 citizens who displayed such character and dedication on Saturday are a national treasure and may very well represent the possibility for preservation of liberty for future generations.

Such citizens are not to be trivialized by the likes of Parker--or anyone else, not matter where they place themselves on the totem pole of government!

27 posted on 09/01/2010 2:00:08 PM PDT by loveliberty2
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m smirking. That’s such transparent ad hominem, psuedo-intellectual armchair psychologist, slop! What happened to Parker? She’s not worth reading anymore.


28 posted on 09/01/2010 2:00:33 PM PDT by November 2010
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Kathleen Parker is so much happier as a columnist now that she has become one of the ‘cool kids.’ Much less happier as a human being, but hey! She 1 degree of separation from John Cusack now.


29 posted on 09/01/2010 2:01:16 PM PDT by Ghengis
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Evangelism and AA? Hogwash, doesn’t work...only thing that works on a drunk is they have to want it...no amount of proselytizing and cajoling will work on an unwilling subject.


30 posted on 09/01/2010 2:02:34 PM PDT by databoss
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I would surmise that Kathleen Parker possesses the “dried up old prune” mindset who will first condemn and second, not forgive. First of all AA is a very honorable and giving organization. Ms. Parker appears to be undermining and chastising AA because she obviously considers anyone who belongs to AA a loser. Ms. Parker has a problem with the fact that people are human, and she fails to see that people also have the capacity to rise to challenges and improve. Ms. Parker is quite lacking in those qualities. On the other hand, if Glenn Beck structured his get together by using some tenets of AA, that is a good thing. At least Mr. Beck is not hiding behind the guise of darkness like Ms. Parker.


31 posted on 09/01/2010 2:02:47 PM PDT by Ranger Warrior
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

In reality the USA has been on a 40+ year drunken binge. Maybe a lil 12-step program is in order.

No matter what we might say about Kethleen, she is one jealous b!tch. We can’t take that away from her.


32 posted on 09/01/2010 2:05:20 PM PDT by EDINVA
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To: Retired Greyhound

The higher power with no particular affiliation comes to mind. Whatever works for you to make you your better self, go for it was the message.


33 posted on 09/01/2010 2:08:19 PM PDT by Blogger
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Parker is another low achiever snarking at a super high achiever. Judging Glen Beck by his enemies works in his favor. Overcoming alcohol addiction is also a great achievement which most people would find a good thing to have done. Beck’s religious and political snarkers will not bring him down but in their efforts to do so they show themselves to be malicious, petty and without credibility.


34 posted on 09/01/2010 2:09:06 PM PDT by mountainfolk (God Bless the United States of America)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
What a sick POS Parker must be.

Here she worked for Romney, against the GOP, to throw the 2008 election to Obama.

Kathleen Parker: "[I]t is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem." "Parker ... says something publicly that many of us have thought privately
but lacked the courage to say out loud - Palin should step down:"


"Kathleen Parker: After Interviews, Palin Should Bow Out"


Kathleen Parker: "Romney would bring more than squeaky clean qualifications
and youthful good looks to the ticket.
Romney would seem a logical choice."


"Parker: Romney raised bar on freedoms"
Kathleen Parker: "If Kennedy's speech was an important landmark in American political history,
Romney's was surpassing. With heartfelt humility and poetic eloquence,
he tracked the nation's struggle with and for freedom."


Staggering bigotry of Kathleen Parker - UPDATED"

35 posted on 09/01/2010 2:09:29 PM PDT by Diogenesis (Si vis pacem, para bellum)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This person knows nothing about AA. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard Beck say the words “AA”. I know one of the traditions is to remain anonymous through “press, radio and film”. Since TV wasn’t around when this was written maybe it’s exempt but I don’t think so.

If he has “admitted” to being in AA he’s broken one of the most important traditions. Bill Wilson believed in this because he didn’t think it would be a good idea for a “celebrity” to go public then get drunk. It would hurt the movement. He came to this conclustion after a famous baseball player did just that.

Anyway, nowhere in the 12 steps did I ever see “Go forth on a mission to save the country and thou shalt not drinketh again.”

Finally, these media whores can’t write anything without bashing Sarah. I’ve never seen a bunch of people so afraid of a woman. Or a man for that matter.


36 posted on 09/01/2010 2:12:00 PM PDT by Terry Mross (o)
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To: Retired Greyhound
What does AA have to do with anything?

About as much as every other bugaboo in the leftist handbag.

37 posted on 09/01/2010 2:17:26 PM PDT by windsorknot
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Why is she such a hater?
BTW where is the Beck show thread??


38 posted on 09/01/2010 2:20:51 PM PDT by brytlea (Jesus loves me, this I know.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

How long before Parker formally “comes out” as a lib?

I wouldn’t mind her so much except for the fact that she apparently continues to identify with the Right.

Or maybe she’s already jumped ship and I never noticed? It’s not like I spend a lot of time reading her stuff.


39 posted on 09/01/2010 2:21:27 PM PDT by Colonel Blimp
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

How long before Parker formally “comes out” as a lib?

I wouldn’t mind her so much except for the fact that she apparently continues to identify with the Right.

Or maybe she’s already jumped ship and I never noticed? It’s not like I spend a lot of time reading her stuff.


40 posted on 09/01/2010 2:21:27 PM PDT by Colonel Blimp
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